


Blessing

by unsernameinuse



Category: Black Sails
Genre: Friendship, Gen, M/M, Meet the Family, Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-16 23:14:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20610962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unsernameinuse/pseuds/unsernameinuse
Summary: Miranda looked between the two of them for a moment. John was still smiling at her with all the confidence of someone who was, in fact, used to being liked. James looked her in the eye, but only briefly.“Well,” she said. “Do come in.”





	Blessing

“James,” said Miranda, pulling him into her arms. Even weathered by his demons as he was, he relaxed enough to step into her embrace.

“I’ve brought someone with me,” he said when he pulled back. He waited, and continued when she said nothing. “He’s…irritating.”

“John Silver, ma’am,” said a cheery voice in the dark. A handsome younger man stepped out of the shadows and jostled James’ shoulder as he reached for her hand. “He’s the only one that thinks I’m irritating, everyone else finds me delightful.”

“Remind me again, who was beaten for a day straight trying to endear himself to the crew?”

“But they like me now,” said John, his smile bright and unaffected.

Miranda looked between the two of them for a moment. John was still smiling at her with all the confidence of someone who was, in fact, used to being liked. James looked her in the eye, but only briefly.

“Well,” she said. “Do come in.”

Dinner was...strange. James was more gruff than usual, eating mostly in silence. John, on the other hand, engaged her in conversation about everything from books to farming to the state of the island. Really he _ was _delightful to talk to. What had he done, she wondered, that made James’ mood grow darker the longer they spoke.

When dinner was over John helped her clean up, washing dishes and wiping down the table. They chatted amicably while she dried the dishes and James put them away. 

“Well,” John said when the kitchen and dining table were clean. “It’s been a bit of a long day...I think I'll turn in now. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” said Miranda as he walked away. James stayed by her side, as he always did. When John reached the hallway, right before he would disappear toward the guest room, he turned back.

“Flint?” he said, blue eyes bright with the question, head tilted so his curls fell over his neck. “Are you coming?”

“Later,” said James, locking eyes with John as if that would save him from Miranda’s inquisitive gaze. “Ms. Barlow and I have a lot to catch up on.” John’s answering smile was small and smoldering. He nodded once more at Miranda and continued down the hall.

As soon as he was gone James’ shoulders dropped just the tiniest bit in relief. She put a hand gently to his elbow and he went rigid again, as if expecting a blow.

“You’re seeing him,” she said, amazed.

James didn’t answer at first. He picked up her tea tray and carried it to the table, poured two cups, and sat down.

“...Against my better judgment,” he said finally. “Yes.”

After a moment of silence she nodded once and pulled her tea towards her. “Good,” she said. “I’m glad.”

He looked up at that, eyebrows lifted in question.

“I think it’ll be good for you to have someone,” she answered. “And he’s very handsome.”

“He isn’t Thomas,” James said. He watched her as he said it, dropping his name on the table with the weight of an anvil.

“No one is,” she replied.

That night she heard them through the walls. The rustling and heavy grunts, sounds of skin slapping skin, a steady soundtrack of the ways they were unraveling each other. It didn’t sound nearly as gentle as what she had been witness to between James and Thomas but then, she supposed, James had changed. And John Silver was clearly about as far from Thomas Hamilton as a person could be.

“I supposed our usual arrangement doesn’t apply?” she said as James stepped out of the door the next morning. He considered her as he finished putting on his jacket, then glanced at John, who was leaning over the fireplace in the kitchen.

“I don’t think he’d be opposed,” said James. “He might even like to join.” She raised her eyebrows and he smiled. “I’ll be back,” he said. He left without saying goodbye to John.

“So,” she said, turning back toward the kitchen where John was putting the mornings dishes away. “Are you going into town too?”

He winced. “Not today” he said. “There was a bit of an issue with the crew. One of the gossip addresses got a bit out of hand.” He let that hang in the air, looking not at all interested in talking about it further.

“Well then,” she said. “I’m going to do some gardening. Would you like to join me?”

He smiled, and it struck her again that it really was an intoxicating one. “I’d love to,” he said.

Out in the garden it became clear that he would be little to no real help, so she put him to work picking the easier weeds. As they worked, they talked.

“...so _ I _thought we were running away but Flint, the madman, actually wanted to board a warship. Just the two of us.”

“And did you?”

“I didn’t have much of a choice. Nearly died three or four times. But, because of our success, the crew pardoned us. I knew Flint wouldn’t just settle for that though, and I told him so.”

She grinned to herself at the thought. “You seem to know him very well for such a short time.”

“Yes, well, matter of survival,” he said with a quick smile.

“Mhmm. And when did it become more than that?” They locked eyes briefly. He scrutinized her, maybe looking for jealousy, but when he found none, he went back to gardening.

“That night,” he told her. “I told him what I thought he was capable of, what I thought he would do, and that I wanted to be there for it. He looked at me like I was speaking another language.”

He didn’t need to describe it to her. She knew that look. She had seen James fall before, after all. It would have started out gentle, because there was a part of James that was just that. But the side of him that was darker and wilder, the side of him John seemed most accustomed to, would have come out eventually. Kisses with heads cradled in hands would turn to the harsh pull of his hands at your clothes and a light in his eye that said he would devour you whole.

“...We’ve shared a bed ever since,” he finished.

“Do the crew know?” she asked.

He shrugged. “They might. But the last people to question Flint were lost in the sea forever or got their necks snapped. And I’m the one holding all the knowledge of their own dirty deeds. As long as it doesn’t leak out into the streets, I think we’ll be fine.”

“Don’t pick those,” she said, pointing to his handful of leaves. “Those I’m actually trying to grow. See, look, they don’t have the same shape as the weeds here.”

“So sorry,” he said, genuinely apologetic. She smiled at him.

“That’s alright. So,” she turned back to her gardening, unsure how much further she could push but curious enough to keep trying. “You got in it for the gold, are you going to leave him once you have it?”

He laughed outright, disarming a loaded question as easily as breathing.

“I think he’s much more likely to leave me first,” he said. “The gold is my freedom. It means I'm no longer tied to anything or anyone. Flint knows that, and we both know he has his own plans once he has his share. Right now, we enjoy each other’s company. It’s as simple as that.”

“Good,” she said, dusting the dirt off of her hands. “I’m glad for you both. Now, we need to do some watering. Oh, please don’t pick my carrots.”

“Oop,” he said, shoving it hurriedly back into the ground. “Sorry.”

When James returned she saw his interactions with John Silver in a new light. What she observed surprised her. Beneath the sniping and sarcasm they did express subtle affection toward each other, though in contrast to the way they fought it seemed almost...shy.

Not in bed. From what she had heard through the very thin walls, the sniping that defined their relationship in company translated into a wild biting tension after dark. They were rough and unforgiving and blunt, seeming to take delight in making each other lose control. She understood that, had been in relationships like that. The kind where the bedroom was where you functioned best because you knew exactly where you stood.

In her experience, those kinds of connections could work if you found your footing, but if not…

So she watched them. They did not seem to have the same confidence outside of the bedroom as in it. Their touches were brief and questioning, as if unsure and with little idea how to remedy that. They understood wanting to fuck each other, Miranda realized, because most everyone understood that. But they did not understand what made them want to stay in each other’s arms once the deed was done.

“It was delightful to meet you, John,” she said when they stood in her doorway once more. He beamed at her.

“Please, the pleasure was all mine.” He smiled at James in triumph. “See? I told you I'm delightful.”

Now that she was looking for it, it was easy to see the fondness in James’ eyes as he shot him an unimpressed look.

“Be safe,” she told them, pulling James into a hug. “Keep each other safe.” 

“We’ll do our best,” said James. They started to walk toward their horses but she reached for James’ arm right before he would have been out of reach, stilling him as John continued on.

“I like him,” she said. “I think he’s good for you.

“The death of me, more like,” James said softly. 

“Let yourself be happy, James.” she said. He glanced up and caught her eye, nodded once.

“I’ll try.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic idea that came to me for this fandom, which I think is fitting since Miranda is so important in season 2. 
> 
> If you like it please let me know! Comments soothe my lil soul


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